Tharja's Gauntlet Adventures
by PlegianTrio
Summary: Tharja has been in 9 voting gauntlet battles so far, more than any other character. This story explores the conversation Tharja could have had with her opponents before and after their battles. (This story is just for fun and shouldn't be taken seriously.)
1. vs Linde

It was a day like any other in the kingdom of Askr. There were many heroes from different worlds residing here, after they were brought to this place by a mysterious summoner. One of these heroes was the dark mage Tharja.

Right now the Plegian woman stared at a promotional poster for the next voting gauntlet, that Anna has pinned on a wall in the middle of the camp.  
The heroes here must be really bored, if they have to amuse themselves with pointless competitions like that, she thought to herself.  
There have been two gauntlets so far and now Tharja was supposed to participate in the third one, the Mage Gauntlet.

Undouptedly it was a fight to prove one's dedication to the arts of magic and Tharja had to admit that she enjoyed practicing magic a lot. But participating in some stupid tournament just because of that? She wasn't sure if she really wanted to do that. Though trying it out only once couldn't be that bad now, could it?

Tharja sighed. Well, it's not like she really had a choice. Anna would probably annoy her for so long until she would participate. And on the plus side there was the fact that she would get to face powerful mages from many different worlds. This would be a good lesson to learn more about other types of magic and become a more experienced sorcerer.  
So with that Tharja decided that she would participate in the next gauntlet.

* * *

The first round of the Mage gauntlet was about to begin. The eight contestants were standing together chatting as they waited for Anna to announce who would be fighting who in the first round. Tharja could spot Robin talking to Henry.

Both of them were powerful mages and the other contestants didn't seem that weak either. But in her heart Tharja knew that Robin was the most powerful one. With his strategic talent no one should be able to beat him. Time seemed to be going faster while she was staring at him and soon Anna joined the participants and announced the order in which the heroes would be fighting each other in the first round of the gauntlet.

According to her Tharja's first opponent was a woman named Linde. She had brown hair and a pink outfit and seemed very confident. Anna led them to a battle arena where their fight was supposed to take place. Tharja prepared her tome for the battle and shot another look at her opponent.

"I will fight for the name of Miloah!" Linde exclaimed, seemingly to boost her own confidence.

Miloah… why did this name sound so familiar to Tharja. "Wait Miloah? You mean the Miloah from the legends?"

Linde made a surprised expression. "Uh… I think so. What legends are you referring to?"

"I'm talking about the legends that are known by every mage in my country. Since very early on I was taught the stories of the archsage Gotoh, who brought magic into our land, as well as his students Miloah and Gharnef. According to these legends Miloah wielded the a powerful tome named aura, but was defeated by Gharnef and his Imhullu-tome. If you ask me, this just proves that dark magic is the superior magic. If Miloah would have practiced dark magic he probably would have survived."

Linde's expression shifted from surprised to uncomfortable. "Miloah was my father."

Sudden silence overcame the battlefield. Well, that turned awkward fast. Tharja definitely had not expected this response.  
"Oh uh… I'm sorry. I didn't knew that." She apologized slightly ashamed.

Linde sighed quietly. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it like that. I'm just happy to know that my father is known as a powerful, wise sage even in… uhh… wherever it is that you're from."

Glad that the uncomfortable tension was already gone, Tharja continued the conversation. "Your father is said to have a great wisdom of a lot of different types of magic, being the best student under the archsage Gotoh. I would love to find out how much of that knowledge he passed on to you. How about we make this fight more interesting? If I win you have to teach me about the kinds of magic your father thought you and if you win I can show you a bit of my knowledge of dark magic. So, what do you say?"

Linde however, seemed not so sure about her offer. "I don't really want to get involved with dark magic. But I would like to share my knowledge of magic with my fellow mages, regardless of who wins the fight."

"Huh? But where's the fun it that?" Tharja was surprised that Linde was being so welcoming to her opponent, but as long as she would teach her about Miloah's magic Tharja didn't really care how she acted. "Whatever, do it your way. Now let's stop babbling around and start fighting already."

"Sure, I'm ready. And I won't lose." Linde exclaimed, having found her confidence again.

* * *

The battle wasn't easy, as Linde was quite skilled, but Tharja managed to turn out victorious. Linde had to find her posture after being beaten to the ground and walked up to Tharja to congratulate her for her win. "Wow Tharja, you really are powerful, I didn't even stand a chance."

"That is not true, I struggled to keep up with your aura-tome. You seem to have inherited at least some of the power of your father. He must have taught you well."

Linde looked like she was very happy about this comment, her expression beaming with a big smile.  
"Oh thank you, that really means a lot to me. Say do you still want to learn about the magic of my father?"

"Yes, but not now. Robin's fight should start any minute now and I have to be there to root for him."

At the mentioning of the name Robin Linde got suddenly curious and shifted a little closer to Tharja.  
"Robin? You mean the guy who will be fighting Merric next? Is he a friend of yours?"

Tharja nodded "Yes, he is a very good friend of mine." And hopefully he will be more than just a friend soon, she added in her head.

Linde smiled at the dark mage. "Well Merric is a friend of mine and I want to root for him too. Maybe we can watch the fight together as we cheer for our friends."

"Uh… sure. But prepare to be disappointed, because Robin is not just a talented mage, but also a master-strategist. Therefore, he is definitely going to win this fight."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that. Merric studied at a magic-school in Khadein founded by Gotoh himself. And he was chosen by the tome excalibur, so he won't just go down so easily either."

"Heh, we will see about that." Tharja grinned at her new comrade. This Merric guy may be good, but against Robin he doesn't stand a chance, she thought to herself.

* * *

 _A/N: I started writing this story mainly to deal with all the salt and hatred that is being thrown around in the FE community when it comes to gauntlets. I wanted to share something a little bit more positive and seeing how I already wrote a story about Tharja, I thought I might as well do another one.  
Although I kinda rushed writing this one, because I wanted to upload this story at a time where Tharja being in gauntlets is still relevant. I hope doesn't feel too rushed.  
Anyway, for her first battle I ended it on a bit of a nicer note, with Tharja and Linde becoming friends (kind of). But this is still Tharja, so not every battle will end this friendly. _  
_I hope you will enjoy this story._


	2. vs Julia

_A/N: I have sadly not gotten any chance to play Fire Embem Genealogy of the Holy Wars yet, so Julia personality in this chapter will be partially what I know about her from Fire Emblem Heroes and FE wiki and partially what I imagine her personality to be. I am incredibly sorry if I messed up anything about her character._  
 _Apologies in advance._

* * *

Tharja walked towards the arena for the second round of the tournament. It seems she had been right about the result of the Robin vs Merric battle.  
Robin won (obviously) and would now have to face the Nohrian prince Leo. But before that happened, Tharja would have her second battle against a woman named Julia.  
The battle was about to start in just a few minutes and Tharja was observing her new opponent carefully.

She wore a very bright dress and had just as bright hair. But the thing that stood out the most to Tharja was the tome she was holding. It was the book of Naga.

"Ughh, a light-priestess. I don't get it, why would anyone want to practice magic that can only be granted by gods?" Tharja didn't even realized she said the last part out loud until she got a response from Julia.

"What did you say? I don't understand... What do you mean you don't get it?"

Since Julia already asked, she might as well speak out her mind, Tharja thought to herself.  
"Well, as a dark mage I'm used to rely on my own powers to practice spells, but your magic? It's just… well…"

Tharja lost her train of thoughts, yet before she could find it again Julia already responded.  
"For my light magic I use my belief in Naga and she gives me her blessing, so that I can use it to banish evil and seal the darkness."

The part about darkness made Tharja cringe slightly.  
"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You only get your magic from your gods. Do you have so little confidence in your own abilities that you have to rely on someone else for your powers? Magic should be about learning and becoming more and more powerful over time and not about bowing down to some random deity so that she might pass down some of her greatness. I rather rely on my own abilities than to completely depend on someone else."

"T-this is not what my light magic is about at all… I stay loyal to Naga and she rewards me for my trust in her. I don't… It is not that I don't have power on my own. My belief IS my power… And uhh…" Julia couldn't finish her sentence, because she was interrupted by Tharja.

"Whatever. Just let us get this battle over with, okay?" Tharja didn't want to hear Julia's explanations on how great light magic is, knowing fully that it would only annoy her even more. She pulled out her tome and prepared for the fight.

* * *

This battle was just as tough as the one against Linde. Just how could a person who had to rely on someone else for power be so strong? Tharja couldn't understand it, but to prove the power of her own magic she fought twice as hard and after an hour long fight she managed to claim victory once again.  
After the battle she left the arena immediately not wanting anything to do with the white-haired priestess.

Instead, she headed to the second battlefield, where Robin and Leo's fight would soon begin. From what she heard Leo was also a great strategist and a master-sorcerer. And seeing how he had beaten Henry, who Tharja knew was a powerful dark mage, this must be true. Tharja would be lying if she said that she wasn't interested in learning about Nohrian magic, but she still knew that this master-tactician-wannabe had no chance against Robin.

During the fight she was calling Robin's name, cheering for him louder than anyone else. When he eventually claimed victory against the Nohrian prince her celebration was great. This means Robin would move up to the final round.  
Suddenly her cheery demeanor vanished as she realized something, that she somehow managed to completely forget.

She would have to face Robin in her next battle.  
The thought of it made Tharja's heart sink. How could she possibly fight her beloved tactician?  
She couldn't do it. She would talk to him right now.

* * *

Robin was celebrating his victory over Leo with the other shepherds in the barracks. Tharja approached him carefully from behind, mostly just because that's how she was used to approaching him. She waited patiently behind his back until he noticed her presence.

"Ah Tharja, there you are. How long have you been standing behind me?"

"Just a few minutes…" she answered truthfully.

"Oh uhh… nevermind then. Anyway, I'm looking forward to our fight tomorrow. It doesn't matter who of us is going to win, it will be a victory for the shepherds in any case. Isn't that great?" He seemed relatively welcoming and Tharja wasn't sure how exactly she should bring her issue with tomorrows battle up.

"Uhh… Yeah, really great. Robin I've been thinking. I could just let you win, you know?"

Robin seemed baffled at Tharja's suggestion. "What? Why? You don't have to go easy on me. Or do you think I'm so weak that I won't last a fight against you?"

"No of course not! You're the most talented person I know." There was no way Tharja would let Robin think that she saw him as weak. This couldn't be further from the truth.

"See, then you don't have anything to worry about. I want a fair fight between us. I can handle your dark magic, so don't hold back." Robin said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Tharja asked, still a bit unsure about the whole thing.

"I am. This is going to be very exciting."

"Okay, then I'm going to see you tomorrow."  
Still a little uncomfortable about all of this Tharja returned to her tent.

* * *

 _A/N: I was actually really unsure on whether I should upload this fanfic or not because of this chapter. I was afraid I would ruin this story since I barely know anything about Julia aside from her carrying Naga's blood and something, something, incest. But I kept telling myself that this story is not supposed to be taken seriously and that my readers will probably understand, so I uploaded it anyway.  
_  
 _I feel like light magic is supposed to represent religion in the world of Fire Emblem, while dark and anima magic represent this worlds interpretation of science._  
 _So logically Tharja and Julia would not get along so well, since Tharja is not really the religious type. She just doesn't quite get how light magic works.  
_  
 _Also, I know that Linde is referred to as a light mage in both Heroes and New Mystery of the Emblem, so she and Tharja should technically have problems getting along as well, but since Shadow Dragon doesn't really have light magic I will always see Linde as an anima mage._


	3. vs Robin

It was the third day of the third gauntlet. The battle-arena was filled with excited Askrians eagerly awaiting the final round.

Tharja was on her way to her side of the battlefield. She felt a little bit more comfortable with fighting Robin after her conversation with him yesterday. She has thought about it all night and realized that maybe this was her chance to impress her beloved. He has seen her abilities on the battlefield before, but he hasn't seen her full power yet.

Tharja noticed that a lot of people in the audience were shouting her name. Some were cheering her on, but some were booing at her, hoping for her to lose.  
It seemed like there was a lot of hostility among the Askrian population when it came to gauntlet fights.

But Tharja didn't really payed them any attention, especially not now, when Robin was already waiting on his side of the arena.  
"Now, are you ready Tharja?"

"Oh, I am ready for you Robin. So, how about a little bet before we start fighting. If I win I get a kiss from you."

Robin looked sceptic, thinking about her suggestion.  
"What do I get when I win?"

"If you win you get a kiss from me." Tharja answered half jokingly.

Robin grinned at her. "Nice try, Tharja, but no."

Slightly disappointed Tharja lowered her head. She had known that Robin would refuse her suggestion, but it was still worth a shot. And Robin's smile, when she suggested it was enough for her to make her attempt worth it. When Robin smiled at her like that, it just warmed her heart.

But now was not the time to be distracted by Robin's irresistible charm. She had to do her best in this fight if she wanted to impress him.  
Anna joined the two of them in the arena and announced the start of the final round. Tomes at hand, the two mages started to recite their spells.

* * *

It was not an easy battle. Robin's charming nature had almost cost Tharja her victory multiple times. But in the end she managed to find an opening in Robin's attack pattern and got a chance to strike. Hit by Tharja spell, Robin fell on the ground, losing his tome in the progress. There were no doubts about it. Tharja had won the gauntlet.

But she didn't care about that. Instead, she immediately rushed to Robin's aid. "Robin, I hope I didn't hurt you." She said as she reached Robin her hand to help him back on his feet.

"It's fine, I'm okay… And don't steal my line!"

"Hehe, sorry" Tharja giggled.

Meanwhile Robin wiped the dirt off his coat.  
"Congratulations to your victory. You really earned it."

"Thank you Robin. You are too kind."

Tharja saw Anna coming towards her, ready to congratulate her and hand her the winner's cup. Tharja took it and muttered a quick "Thanks."  
She wasn't really happy about all the attention she was getting. She usually preferred being alone and now all the contestants of the gauntlet came to her and congratulated her. Most of them seemed very welcoming, despite having lost, only Leo was still a little grumpy.  
Tharja heard him mutter something along the lines of "Next time I'm going to win."

But Tharja didn't care about him, since she saw Robin approaching her again.

"Tharja, I know you are not the biggest fan of parties, but I hope you don't mind coming to your victory-celebration back in the barracks."

It was true that she wasn't a fan of big celebrations, but Tharja had a hard time saying no to Robin.  
So she ended up accepting his offer and joined him on his way to the barracks.  
The others shepherds were already waiting for them. They had prepared food, drinks, annoyingly colorful party-decorations as well as a huge banner that said ´Congrats Tharja!`.

Though Tharja noticed the fact that the banner was made in a bit of a hurry, as well as the presence of a second banner hiding rolled up in a corner that said ´Congratulations Robin`. Clearly the other shepherds have wanted Robin to win. Tharja couldn't blame them though, seeing how a part of her also had wanted Robin to be the victor.

Like expected the party was loud and the constant congratulations from the others were slowly getting on Tharja's nerves.  
But hey, at least Robin was here and the wine didn't look that bad either. Maybe she could allow herself to have a little fun today, Tharja thought to herself.

* * *

 _A/N: This chapter is a little short because Robin and Tharja already talked a bit in the last one._  
 _In case someone doesn't get it, Tharja's line "Robin, I hope I didn't hurt you." is a reference to Robin's victory quote "Lucina, I hope I didn't hurt you" from Super Smash Bros. So this is why he says she stole his line._  
 _I wanted to make the Askrians (Is that what you call the People of Askr?) represent the Fire Emblem fanbase in this story._


	4. vs Camilla

Once again promotional posters for the next gauntlet have been pinned all over Askr.  
It was now the sixth gauntlet, the so called Choose your Heroes gauntlet, and Tharja was yet again invited to participate.

Apparently the people of Askr have voted their favourite soldiers and the eight most popular ones were now supposed to compete for the title of most popular hero.  
Tharja took a quick look at her opponents. All of them were royalty or otherwise very important leader-figures in their respected armies. She on the other hand was just a common soldier.

She felt a little out of place in this gauntlet. Why did so many people vote for her? It didn't make any sense. She wasn't really important and she definitely wasn't a people-person, so the reasons for her popularity were a mystery to her.

Well, whatever, it was already time for her to face her first opponent. She stepped into the arena that was already filled with an excited audience. The person on the other side of the battlefield was a Malig knight with long purple hair named Camilla.

„Oh what do we have here? What an adorable little dark mage. You must be Tharja, right?."

Tharja couldn't tell if the tone of Camilla's voice was genuine or mocking, but in either case she was already bothered by this woman.  
„Can we just start the fight already?" She asked, not trying to hide her annoyance.

„My, my, looks like someone is a little grumpy today. There is no need to be so impatient. Can't I have a nice pleasant conversation with my opponent before we fight?"

Rather than answering, Tharja just shot a mean glare at her, yet Camilla just kept calm and continued talking.

„Well aren't we impolite today. Fine if it is a fight you want, then that is what you shall get."

Finally, Tharja thought to herself. She had feared Camilla's bantering would never end. Tharja pulled out her Raudrblade tome and readied herself for the upcoming battle.

* * *

This battle had been harder than any battle Tharja has faced before. And for the first time she went out of the battle as the loser.  
Camilla had been too tough and Tharja could not find any openings in her attack-pattern. So she had to accept defeat.  
Camilla smiled at her triumphantly, yet her face switched into slightly concerned in a matter of second.

„Oh, don't be sad because you lost. All that matters is that you did your best and I have to say you put up a good fight."

Suddenly and without any warning Camilla pulled Tharja closer to herself and gave her a hug, not giving Tharja any chance to do anything against it.  
And seeing how Camilla was about a head taller than Tharja it meant that she was pressing Tharja's face into her bosom.

„Shhhh. Don't be mad about your loss. Just let your worries go away."

„Ugh… Unhand me, frivolous woman!" Tharja protested and managed to free herself from Camilla's embrace.  
Camilla meanwhile had a guilty expression on her face.

„Sorry, I just couldn't resist. You remind me too much of one of my retainers. She is also always cold and asocial and she even sounds a lot like you.  
I always try to give her as much of my love as possible, so when I saw you like this, all upset about the battle, well, I couldn't help myself."

Tharja didn't want to hear her excuses, but she was too exhausted to be mad at Camilla right now.  
So she just nodded as a silent sign that she got Camilla's explanation, said her goodbye and left without a second word.

At the very least she could now go early and didn't have to fight in any more battles.  
Maybe she had time to practice some of the spells Linde taught her. She had done a decent job reciting them so far, but there was still a lot of room for improvement.

There were a few specially tricky ones, that frustrated Tharja a little, but she knew that this would just make it all the more satisfying when she would eventually get the hang of them.

Practicing Magic would not be nearly as fun at it is, if you wouldn't have to work for it, she thought to herself as she left the arena, not wasting any more thoughts on the gauntlet.

* * *

 _A/N: I like to think that Tharja would remind Camilla of Beruka. They have a similar default expression and share a voice actor._  
 _Also, am I the only one who thought that Tharja was pretty out of place in the Choose your Heroes gauntlet? I mean you have 7 story-significant characters and then there is Tharja, the one optional unit. Not really surprising that she lost. But hey, out of all the optional characters in Fire Emblem she is by far the most popular one so that is at least something, right?_


	5. vs Priscilla

Tharja couldn't believe it. She was supposed to participate in yet another gauntlet.  
It was the ninth gauntlet this time, the so called Enduring love gauntlet.

According to Anna she has been invited because of her undying love for Robin.  
Tharja felt like that was an oddly specific trait to be invited for, but she decided not to say anything.

After the Choose your Heroes gauntlet she had made the decision not to participate in any more gauntlets, yet if the gauntlet was about proving her love for Robin she felt like she didn't have a choice but to participate anyway. Sometimes Tharja felt like a slave to her own affection for this tactician.

He was the reason why on the day of the first round she was among the contestants. Like in the previous gauntlets she decided to take a look at her opponents.

Rhajat immediately caught her eye. Ever since Rhajat was summoned a few days ago, many heroes have asked Tharja whether they were twins, seeing how they not only look the same, but also shared an interest in curses. Tharja was getting sick of having to tell them time and time again that she didn't have any siblings.

She hasn't even gotten a chance to talk to Rhajat herself yet. Maybe this gauntlet would grant the opportunity. Tharja would like to exchange her knowledge with another curse-caster, but it would have to wait until later as her first opponent was a little redhead named Priscilla.

Their battle would start in a half hour and Tharja could already see all the shepherds, who have come to cheer for her.  
They have supported her in her past battles too, but it has been clear that their hearts were with Robin and Chrom during the previous gauntlets.

But this time Tharja was the only shepherd in the gauntlet, which is why she now had the full support of the others.  
It seems like while most of the Askrian population cared for the individual winners, most of the heroes just wanted their respected armies to get as many victories as possible and the shepherds were no exception.

The minutes passed and the first round was about to begin. Priscilla seemed very uncomfortable about all of this. Tharja didn't want to hear about her problems, but she felt like the battle would never start if Priscilla just worried about something the whole time. As much as Tharja's inner emo opposed herself against it, she decided to approach Priscilla about her problem.

"Hey redhead, something wrong?"

"Oh, it's just… Well, I want to win this gauntlet for my brother Raven, who I love a lot, but I…" She seemed to have lost her train of thoughts.

Tharja was a bit confused about this. Did she understand Priscilla correctly?  
"Wait, your brother? I thought this gauntlet was all about romantic love. I didn't know that sibling-love counts too."

"Well that is why I feel a little awkward about being in this gauntlet. Everyone seems to be staring at me and talking about me behind my back. It makes me a little uncomfortable. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be with my lord brother forever… right?"

Tharja wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond to that. It was true that Priscilla felt a little out of place in this gauntlet.  
Tharja could kind of relate to that, since she also felt pretty out of place when she participated in the Choose your Heroes gauntlet.

"Well, let's not think about this and just fight okay?" She said, trying to remind Priscilla about what really mattered now.

"Yes okay. I will give my best for my brother." Priscilla responded, still a little uncomfortable with the situation.

* * *

Tharja managed to win once again. After having lost her first battle in her last gauntlet this victory was a good confidence-boost.  
Although winning against a little girl with little to no confidence was probably not something to be proud of.

Priscilla meanwhile, seemed like she wasn't sure whether she should be sad that she lost or happy that she didn't have to feel awkward anymore.  
Tharja didn't want to waste any more thoughts on her though, so she left the arena to have some time for herself.

She also ignored the group of shepherds who wanted to celebrate her victory.  
Tharja really wasn't in the mood for a celebration just yet, especially since this was only the first round.  
She reached her tent and sunk back into her dark magic studies and cursing research.

* * *

 _A/N: Personally, I don't think a character who already won a gauntlet should participate in another one, which is why I found it weird when I saw that Tharja was in the Enduring love gauntlet. And alongside her other incarnation at that!_  
 _I am also just going to deny all the implications that Priscilla might have romantic feelings for her brother, because I don't want to see her that way._  
 _I still want to write her in character, so the weird habit of calling Raven lord brother stays, but as far as I am concerned her feelings for Raven are purely platonic.  
I really love the idea, that the characters from the different games would always cheer for the participants, who are from the same game as them, kind of how a lot of sportfans want the team from their country to win. This is why most of the shepherds support Tharja in this gauntlet.  
_


	6. vs Faye

Another day, another round in the gauntlet.  
For her second battle in this gauntlet Tharja had to fight a light brunette girl named Faye. She is said to have a similar kind of dedication to her loved one as Tharja herself. But did she have her fighting abilities too? Tharja was about to find out. She entered the arena where Faye already awaited her.  
Though Faye's reaction wasn't quite what Tharja had expected.

"Rhajat? But I defeated you already. Why are you here?"

Not even one minute in and Tharja was already annoyed by this person.  
„I am not Rhajat. My name is Tharja and I will be your next opponent."

Sadly Faye was not convinced just yet.  
"Sure you are. You know Rhajat, when you try to make up a fake name you should be a little more creative. I mean Tarja, really? Stop joking around."

Rage started to boil within Tharja. This woman really wanted to test her patient.  
"First of all, it is pronounced Tharja and second of all I am not joking around. I am serious. I am really not Rhajat."

"Fine. It doesn't matter anyway. I defeated you once and I can defeat you twice if necessary. Your love for Corrin will never overcome my love for Alm."  
Corrin!? This was it. Tharja wanted to destroy this brat now. She knew Corrin and she had a bit of a grudge against her ever since she had beaten Robin in the Beach gauntlet.  
So having Faye claim that she had feelings for Corrin…

It was just too much for Tharja. For this battle she was fueled by anger. Never before wanted Tharja to beat her opponent as much as in this battle. During the fight, she gave her best and even though Faye was a surprisingly tough fighter, Tharja would not let her win. Not after she had angered her so much.

Eventually Tharja managed to beat Faye to the ground, claiming victory once again. Faye, however seemed not so pleased about the result of this battle.

"This is not fair! I have already beaten you! You can't just come back and pretend like our first battle didn't happen."

"How many times do I have to tell you. I am not Rhajat. I am Tharja."

Faye stared at her with a baffled expression, her eyes widened. Then she stared at some person who has stepped on the battlefield.  
It was Rhajat. Tharja assumed that she had also been sick of Faye confusing the two of them and showed up to prove that they were indeed two different people.

"It is true Faye. This person is not me." Rhajat said, just as annoyed as Tharja.  
Faye still had the baffled expression from before on her face. After almost a half minute she managed to form her thoughts into a question.

„Are you two like twins or something like that?"  
Tharja slowly got the feeling like this woman solely existed to annoy her.

"No! We are not!" she shouted angrily. As she did so, she noticed a weird echo in her voice. It took a moment until she realized that Rhajat has shouted the same thing at the exact same time.

Meanwhile Faye's baffled expression has returned. "Are you sure?"

Okay, that's it, Tharja thought to herself. "Just shut up!"  
Faye was quite annoyed at Tharja being so rude to her.  
"Fine, I will just go and look for Alm then." She said as she left, clearly salty about her loss.

Tharja and Rhajat watched her go. Then Rhajat turned to Tharja.  
"Hey I heard you have a lot experience with curses. Do you by any chance have some time today, so we can exchange some curse-knowledge. You know, if you want to…"

Tharja was surprised that Rhajat asked her that, seeing how she had planned on asking her the same thing. It seems like she wasn't the only one looking for another curse-caster to interact with.

"Well I do have time. But if you want me to show you my knowledge of curses, you have to have something in store for me as well. I want to get to know some new curses too, you know?"

Rhajat smiled mischievously.  
"Well have you ever heard about the curse that forces your victims to drool uncontrollably for three days straight.?"

"Hehe, I'm interested."

And so the two of them decided to descend into the arts of dark magic together this evening.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the people who expected Tharja and Faye to bond over stalking. I thought it would be much funnier if Faye confused Tharja for Rhajat._  
 _So Tharja is forming a friendship with her previous incarnation instead. They would probably get along well._  
 _Also, jokes on you Tharja. Your Name doesn't have an official pronunciation (yet)._  
 _Has anyone noticed that Faye is the only character from Echoes/ Gaiden to appear in a gauntlet (so far). That's just sad._


	7. vs Sigurd

_A/N: I still haven't played Genealology of the Holy Wars, so Sigurd's personality will be partially based on his personality in heroes and partially on what I imagine his personality to be. Again, I am incredibly sorry if I messed up anything about his character._

* * *

It was now the third day of the Enduring Love gauntlet, which meant that the final battle would take place today.  
Yesterday Tharja has spent pretty much the entire evening and night with Rhajat practicing dark magic.

The two of them have exchanged many different curses and Rhajat has also shown Tharja Hoshidian spirit magic, while Tharja has taught Rhajat how to do a successful seànce.

Tharja was lucky that the finale wasn't early in the morning, because she probably would have overslept, since she stayed up all night. But after staying in bed until noon she was well rested and ready for her final battle.  
When she stepped into the arena she felt very confident. Her opponent, a blue haired man named Sigurd joined her not much later.

"You must be Tharja right? I am looking forward to our fight. Though be warned I will give it my all, to honor the love of my life, my dear wife Deirdre."

Sigurd seemed very polite and welcoming. The same could not be said about the Askrian population however.  
Tharja could hear both cheers and boos into her general direction. It seems like both her and Sigurd had a lot of supporters among the Askrians.  
And they seemed to enjoy shouting at each other.

Sigurd also noticed the hostility among their audience. "Hm? Are gauntlet finals always this mean-spirited?"

"In my experience… Yes." Tharja answered with a nonchalant expression.

"Ah, that is a little saddening. If I'm not mistaken, you have been in the final round of a gauntlet before and even turned out victorious. Would you mind telling me what that was like?" Sigurd seemed to be genuinely interested in her previous battle.

Though Tharja still remembered her conflicted feelings, that she had before the final round.  
"Well, it wasn't the nicest experience. Mainly because I had to face the person I loved."

"Oh, I can see how this could be an unpleasant experience. I don't even want to imagine what it must feel like to see the person you love on the opposing side."

"Yeah, that was not so nice. Luckily Robin is not a spiteful person and didn't hold a grudge against me for beating him in the gauntlet. He is just so charming and smart and gentle." Tharja got lost in her thoughts about the (in her eyes) perfect tactician.

"He sure sounds like a very interesting person." Sigurd responded, while keeping his polite tone.

"He is." Speaking of the devil, Tharja just now noticed that Robin was standing next to the winner's cup, together with Anna and a lavender haired light mage, who was probably this Deirdre-woman Sigurd was talking about.

Robin seemed a little uncomfortable about his position. He probably just showed up too boost Tharja's confidence so that the shepherds could get another win.  
Tharja sighed deeply. Sigurd noticed her concerns and decided to approach her about it.

"Is something wrong?"

„I guess I'm just a little jealous. You have already won the love of your life over, but I am not even close to reaching this goal."

Suddenly Sigurd stepped towards her and gave her a pat on the shoulder.  
"Well, love can be very unpredictable. You can't find it by force just like you can't find it by just doing nothing. You have to work hard to find love, but you always have to be patient. True love isn't something that happens overnight."

"I guess. Can we just fight already?" Tharja asked, not wanting to think about her unrequited crush right now.

Sigurd granted her a welcoming smile.  
"We can start whenever you are ready."

* * *

Her fight against Sigurd felt almost as tough as her battle against Camilla.  
They were pretty much equal in strength, so the battle ended up being the longest one Tharja has faced during her time in the gauntlets.  
It was her most hard fought victory yet and both her and Sigurd were extremely exhausted afterwards.

Despite his loss Sigurd was still incredibly polite.  
"Congratulation Tharja, I must say you are an astonishing fighter. You earned your victory."

"Uhh... Thanks." While Tharja was happy that she proved her love for Robin, she feared that she would now have to endure a lot of congratulations from all the other contestants. She went up to Robin, Anna and Deirdre with Sigurd following her. The three of them congratulated her for her victory and Anna reached Tharja the winner's cup, while Deirdre went and comforted Sigurd.

Meanwhile Tharja turned to Robin. "So, Robin…"

To her big surprise Robin suddenly stepped closer and gave her a very brief kiss on the cheek.  
Even though his lips only touched her skin for a few millisecond, Tharja could already feel her face heating up. She was looking at Robin with a baffled expression.

"Just a little thank you, because you gave the shepherds their third victory." He said, while blushing.  
Tharja still couldn't believe it. He has given her a kiss on the cheek!  
Her legs became weak. She was so overwhelmed by emotions that she actually fell over.

While lying on the ground, she could hear Anna's voice. „Uh… Tharja are you okay?"

"I never felt better." Tharja answered, drunk with love.

Now she heard Robin's voice.  
"But your lying on the ground…"

"On the ground? What are you talking about? I'm in heaven right now." she told Robin before she passed out entirely.

* * *

Anna looked at Robin with a smirk. „Robin, just what have you done to this poor woman?"

Robin had no idea what just happened and became a little desperate.  
„I just wanted to be nice. She fought so hard for this and I didn't just want to stand here and do nothing. T-this was something she has mentioned in the mage gauntlet and I just thought, maybe… I didn't expect this to happen!"

Robin's face was red and he seemed a little confused at his own actions as well as Tharja's reaction.  
Both he and Anna looked back at the still unconscious Tharja.

„Well we can't leave her lying like this. You should carry her to her tent." Anna proposed, leaving Robin surprised.

„What? Why me?"

„Well, it is your fault."  
She was kind of right, Robin thought to himself. Then again, carrying Tharja across the camp would look quite odd to bystanders.

„I can't carry her! S-she is too heavy for me to carry her alone."  
It was obvious that he was just trying to find excuses, seeing how Tharja was rather small and thin, but Robin just didn't want people to stare at him carrying Tharja to her tent.

Suddenly Sigurd started speaking again.  
„Maybe I could lend my assistance."

Overjoyed that he wouldn't have to carry Tharja across the camp alone, Robin thanked Sigurd for his help. „Oh thank you Sigurd. You are just too kind."

„No thanks. This is the least I can do."

And so Robin and Sigurd ended up carrying the unconscious woman back to her tent. It still felt a little weird to Robin, but at least having Sigurd helping him out made it much less awkward than doing it all by himself.

* * *

 _A/N: Even though I haven't played his game yet, I already kinda love Sigurd just from how he is portrayed by the FE-fanbase. He is portrayed as this super polite, always friendly, welcoming gentleman and I will continue to think of him that way until the day I'm proven wrong._  
 _I know that Robin is acting a little OOC in this chapter, but I just thought it would be funny to write Tharja reacting to getting a kiss from him and it's not like this Story is supposed to be taken seriously._  
 _P.S. Make a Genealogy of the Holy Wars remake Nintendo!_


	8. vs Chrom

A new year was just beginning and a new gauntlet came with it.  
And even though it has barely been over a month since her last victory, Tharja was supposed to participate again.  
What made it even worse was the outfit that she was supposed to wear. It was a pretty demeaning and inpractical costume.

Anna has told her that all the participants should wear festive outfits to honor some kind of holiday that Tharja has never heard of. She didn't understand why this was necessary.  
If she was not mistaken the holiday has already passed anyway, so there was really no sensible reason for her to wear it, but Anna has insisted on it.

Tharja didn't want to be in another gauntlet.  
And she didn't want to wear this stupid outfit.

It has already been decided who will be fighting who in the first round, but there was still time until the gauntlet was supposed to start.  
Tharja would be fighting Chrom in her first battle. Currently he stood next to her and chatted with Robin and Lissa.

Tharja took a look at the other contestants.  
They were all from the same world and part of an army that called themselves the united forces of Nohr and Hoshido.  
But since that was a bit of a long name the other heroes just started to jokingly call them Nohrshido.

Tharja had a frustrating flashback to her second gauntlet when she spotted Camilla. She still tried to forget about her defeat through the hands of the purple-haired malig-knight. Other than Camilla there were a blue haired dancer, an archer with a ponytail and a… Wait a second.  
Fury started boiling up in Tharja's mind. She angrily stomped towards Anna, who was doing some preparations for the gauntlet.

"Ah Tharja, do you want something?"

"Why do _I_ have to wear this ridiculous outfit, but _that guy_ can just join without a ´festive` costume?!"  
Tharja shouted furiously while pointing at a man in a red armor that vaguely resembled a well-cooked saltwater crustacean.

"Oh you mean Ryoma. Well, originally Corrin was supposed to participate. We even had a great outfit for him, but we can't find him anywhere so Ryoma was so kind as to take his place in the gauntlet. Sadly, we couldn't make an outfit for Ryoma in time, so he has to fight in his regular armor."

"But I still have to run around with antlers and a bell around my neck, right? That's it, I quit!" She stormed of, an angry expression on her face.

"Wait Tharja don't go!" Anna shouted, while trying to prevent Tharja from leaving.

But Tharja ignored her and rushed towards Chrom and Robin.

"Congratulations Chrom. You win. I give up." She said to Chrom before turning around and heading in the opposite direction.  
Chrom and Robin exchanged a look and then Chrom turned to Tharja.

"Wait! You can't just give up. We need you here."  
Even though Tharja was just about to leave, she hesitated and listened to what Chrom had to say.

"The shepherds have won three gauntlets so far, but so did our opponents. We are even right now and whoever wins this gauntlet will be the current gauntlet champion. And since it is the beginning of the new year the feeling of victory will feel so much better. We would start the year as the best army here. This is why we can't let Nohrshido beat us."

Tharja sighed. Chrom was clearly getting to much into these gauntlets.  
"What does this have to do with me?"

Chrom seemed baffled at her question.  
„Why are you even asking that? You are our star-player of course. You already brought two victories to the shepherds. And there are good chances that you can give us a third one."

Now it was Tharja's time to be surprised.  
"Wait, do you mean you want to let me win?"

"Of course not. Robin, explain her our plan."

Robin smiled, being fully in his element.  
"You see, we need to determine who of us four will be facing Nohrshido. This is what the first two rounds are for. If you win against Chrom and then later again against Lissa or me, you will be ready for the finale. But if one of us beats you it will be good training for us. Not to mention that beating a two-time gauntlet champion would be very motivating for us. If we just let each other win, we won't take victory home this time. Our opponents are not gonna let us win either after all. This is why all of us have to give our best in this gauntlet."

Chrom seemed very satisfied with Robin's explanation. He turned back to Tharja.  
"You see Tharja? Now will you stay and fight me in the first round?"

Tharja was still pretty unsure about this.  
"I don't know. I kind of sick of gauntlets right now."

Now Robin spoke up again.  
"I can understand that you don't want to participate anymore. We won't force you to fight, but I would really appreciate it if you would help us out here."

Tharja screamed internally. He was doing this on purpose, wasn't he. He was looking at her with a hopeful expression that was slowly melting Tharja's heart.  
Tharja could not tell if he was really doing this intentionally. Robin was a friendly person so he could be genuine, but he was also a strategist so being manipulative was his job.

Although it was not like it mattered anyway. There was no way Tharja could say no to him now. Curse you Robin and your irresistible charm!  
"Fine, I will participate. But you better be grateful, because this is really getting on my nerves."

"Well I'm certainly grateful that you give us your time." Chrom responded, clearly happy that they managed to convince her to stay.  
"See you in the arena then."

* * *

The battle against Chrom went different than Tharja expected. She had seen Chrom on the battlefield before and he was not someone to mess with.  
He wasn't the leader of the shepherds for nothing.

Tharja actually set her expectations for victory low and yet during the battle she noticed that he was slipping.  
She managed to turn the battle to her favor and claim victory for herself.

Chrom was kind of devastated by his defeat.  
"Losing in the first round… again. I guess I was right about you being our star-player."

"Stop calling me that." Tharja responded annoyed, but she already had something different on her mind.  
"Say, Robin and Lissa should start battling soon, right?"

"Yeah, I wonder who of them is going to win." Chrom mumbled as he brushed the dirt off his holiday-themed outfit.

"Robin, obviously. Ugh… but that would mean that I will have to fight him again." Tharja's faith in Robin was strong. She knew better than anyone else what he was capable of. But the idea of fighting him again wasn't really that appealing to her.

"Heh, Robin is pretty powerful, but I would not count Lissa out just yet." Chrom said, trying to defend his sister.

"We will see."

* * *

 _A/N: I'm_ really _not a fan of winter Tharja's design, but whatever._  
 _I considered using normal Tharja's personality for this chapter, but I couldn't think of any way to include her without it feeling forced._  
 _For this chapter I continued the idea of characters supporting comrades who come from the same game. I especially like to think that the Awakening cast and the Fates cast have a bit of a rivalry going on, seeing how they are the most represented in the gauntlets. I also enjoy the idea of Chrom being a bit like an overexcited coach for the shepherds, trying his best to guarantee the victory of his team.  
Corrin is still missing. If anyone has seen him, please contact Ryoma or Camilla._  
 _Also, Nohrshido is best OTP._


	9. vs Lissa

The second round of this years first gauntlet was about to begin in only a few minutes.  
Tharja was still a little upset about the fact that Robin lost against Lissa yesterday.

While she was glad that she didn't have to fight him again, it was a little frustrating to know that Robin would once again not get the chance to win a gauntlet.  
Tharja felt angry at Lissa for beating him, but she realized that she was being a little hypocritical.  
Despite that she still wanted to avenge him anyway.

Beating Lissa should not be that hard for her, seeing how she had already beaten Lissa's older brother.  
And if she remembered correctly Lissa has lost to Priscilla in the healers gauntlet, someone Tharja has defeated easily.  
This is why Tharja went into this fight with much more confidence than yesterday.

Though Lissa seemed pretty confident as well.  
"So Tharja I guess we will be fighting now. Are you ready? Because I'm not going to go easy on you."

"You should rather question on whether or not you are ready. Be careful or you might end up cursed. Hehehe…" Tharja giggled maliciously.

Though Lissa didn't look impressed.  
"Hah, you can't scare me, Tharja. I know you're just trying to creep me out, but that is not going to work on me."

"Hehe, courage alone is not going to help you against me if you don't have the skills to back it up."  
Tharja's confidence was through the roof today. She knew she was not going to lose this fight.

* * *

She had lost the fight.  
It was all going well at first, but Tharja became a little too overconfident as the battle kept going.  
Lissa took her carelessness to her own advantage and struck Tharja down with her giant war bell when she got the chance.

Tharja fell to the ground, feeling the cold snow beneath her. "Ugh… I'll… go change…"

Meanwhile Lissa was celebrating her victory.  
"I can't believe it. I actually beat Tharja, the gauntlet champion."

"I don't like being called that." Tharja muttered, still baffled that she lost.  
She could have dealt with losing to Chrom, but losing to someone as delicate as Lissa?  
It was just embarrassing.

It seems like Lissa didn't hear her as she just kept celebrating.  
"This means I will move up to the final round. I will win the gauntlet for Ylisse and the shepherds and defeat Nohrshido. Oh, Tharja you will come to my final fight, right?"

"I don't know, maybe… if Robin shows up too. But seriously, I need to go change now."

* * *

It was the last day of the tenth gauntlet and while Tharja was still a little upset about her failure yesterday, the fact that she finally got rid of this horrible outfit combined with her being able to claim a seat next to Robin in the arena as they watched Lissa's battle, made her feel better already.

Chrom and Robin cheered for Lissa loudly as she fought the blue-haired dancer from their opponent's side.  
Tharja rooted for Lissa internally, though mostly because if Lissa would win the gauntlet it would make her own defeat look less embarrassing.

Sadly, it didn't look that good for Lissa. This dancer-girl was a tough opponent and Lissa's chances for victory were very slim.  
It seemed like she was about to get obliterated by her adversary, but she didn't give up.  
Yet it didn't matter, because after a long fight she still lost, leaving Nohrshido with the victory.

After the battle she went up to her friends, her head faced downwards and a sad expression on her face.  
"I'm sorry Chrom, I let the shepherds down. You're probably really mad at me now."

Unsurprisingly, Chrom wasn't mad at her, but instead he tried to encourage her a bit.  
"You didn't let anyone down. You really gave your best out there."

"And yet it was still not enough. I guess I'm not as strong as I thought."

This time Robin spoke up.  
"Sometimes even the best soldiers lose a fight. Don't let this one defeat get your confidence down."

"I know, but I'm still upset that the shepherds didn't take the victor's cup this time. Maybe I should have let Tharja win after all. She could have defeated Azura easily."

Before she could continue talking, Tharja already disagreed with her.  
"I don't think that is true. I had a hard time against you and you did put up a good fight against this dancer-girl."

This actually managed to get a sad smile out of Lissa.  
"Heh, if I wouldn't know you better I would say that you're only saying that to be nice. But you are never nice, so that means you must be telling the truth."  
She noticed that Tharja shot a mean glare in her direction.  
"I'm just joking. But seriously now, I need to thank all of you for supporting me and cheering me up. This really means a lot to me."

Chrom smirked at her.  
"I know something that will cheer you up even more. Anna has opened a cafe shop not far from here and I invite all of you for a cup of hot chocolate."

Lissa's sad smile transformed into a beaming expression.  
"Chrom, you're awesome!"

She rushed to her brother and gave him a big hug.  
"I have the best big brother in the world! And the best friends in the world too."

She let go of Chrom and embraced Robin as well.  
"I can be really happy to have such great people around me."

After letting go of Robin she approached Tharja. "You too, Tharja."

"Oh, no. Don't! I'm not…"  
But it was already too late, as Lissa gave her a hug as well.  
Tharja sighed. Why was it that every time she lost to someone, her opponent would end up hugging her.

"That's enough now. Let go of me or I'll curse you." she said as she freed herself from Lissa's grip.  
"Didn't we want to go drink hot chocolate or something like that."

"Right, let's go right now." Lissa said, clearly excited about the sweet, sugary drink.

* * *

The cafe looked exactly what Tharja would have expected an Anna cafe to look like. The signs were big and bright and the prizes were high. Tharja was glad that she didn't have to pay for anything.

They ordered four cups of hot chocolate and sat down at a table.

"I should have looked at the prizes before I invited all of you." Chrom sighed.

"What did you expect? This is Anna's cafe. Are you really surprised that Anna tries to make money out of the cold time of the year?" Robin asked his friend, but Tharja ended up answering him instead.

"I would have been surprised if there was something Anna couldn't make money off. Though these prices really are cruel. This hot chocolate better be good."  
She took a sip. It what delicious. As much as Anna was a money-grubber she at least provided quality products.

Lissa took a sip as well. "Wow, this tastes amazing!" She hastily started drinking more.

"Lissa, don't drink all of it so quickly. You should slowly enjoy your drink and not waste all of it at once" Robin scolded Lissa, half-jokingly while smiling.

Lissa stuck out her tongue prematurely. "If I want more of it, I will just ask Chrom to buy me more."

"Wait what?! I'm not made out of money, Lissa." Chrom told her with a surprised expression.  
"Well, I guess as long as it will get your mind of your failure today, I will gladly become broke."  
Just as he said it, Chrom realized that his choice of words might not have been the best.

Lissa gave him an exaggerated offended expression.  
"Wow, Chrom thanks for reminding me of my crushing defeat."

"Really smooth, Chrom." Tharja remarked sarcastically.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." He apologized, slightly ashamed.

But Lissa has already forgiven him.  
"Ah, forget about it. It wasn't that bad. You know, a nice cup of hot chocolate shared with good friends is much better than some silly old winner's cup anyway."

And so the four of them kept sitting in the cafe and shared a nice moment of chatting and drinking hot chocolate until late into the evening.

* * *

 _A/N: In case anyone has skipped the vs Chrom chapter: Norshido is a nickname that the heroes gave the army from Fire Emblem Fates.  
I think Corrin would like the name, though I'm not sure how Ryoma and Xander would feel about it._

 _Well, I guess that's it for now. Let's hope that Tharja never appears in another gauntlet again. But if she does, I guess I will have to write another chapter for this fanfic._  
 _Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated._


End file.
